Keir Starmer has called for an end to the government’s “serial incompetence” throughout the pandemic as concerns grow over the possibility of further restrictions being introduced.
The Labour opposition leader, writing in the Telegraph, decried the leaking of plans for tougher measures and said it had led to confusion about Downing Street’s approach.
He suggested a number of ways the government could “get a grip of this situation urgently before it spirals out of control”.
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Local leaders had to be consulted more closely over restrictions, he said, to arrest frustration amid a sense that No 10 was talking down to parts of the country.
The government is reportedly planning to order the temporary closure of pubs, bars and restaurants in coronavirus hotspots, with ministers considering fresh financial packages to help the hardest hit areas and industries. Regional leaders have criticised the government for not consulting them ahead of changes, while the Greater Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham, said he would challenge any closures.
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Keir Starmer urges Boris Johnson to explain Covid restrictions – video
“The government is operating under the misguided, arrogant and counterproductive view that ‘Whitehall knows best’, that decisions can be made behind closed doors, without any real consultation or even picking up the phone to those on the frontline,” Starmer wrote.
The government should increase testing capacity by investing in the NHS and university laboratories, Starmer said, while also suggesting local public health teams should be given responsibility for contact-tracing.
“We don’t need a world-beating testing system, we just need one that works.”
Ministers are expected next week to outline a three-tier local lockdown system next that may see those most at risk told to stay at home for months.
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